What’s your favorite summer outdoor activity? I bet family picnics are part of your list! There’s just something special eating outdoors, enjoying the fresh air and the picturesque view of the park, and having some quality time with your family.
It’s not at all taxing to prepare for a family picnic every once in a while. As family picnics are one of our favorite pastimes, here are some family picnic ideas and must-haves to achieve a summer to remember.
How to Make Your Family Picnic Memorable
Don’t let summer slip away without having a memorable family picnic! As summer is about to end, and the kids are heading back to school, here are some easy-peasy tips on how to make your picnics even better.
Decide Where You’ll Conduct Your Picnic
Before anything else, you must first decide where the family would love the most to have the picnic. If the fam is into nature and greeneries, look for parks near your area. On the other hand, if you would like to be more adventurous and beat the summer heat, you can opt to go and have your picnic by the river, pond, or lake!
Go where your family is at their happiest. Just make sure to check if there’s an entrance fee, its operating hours, the hazards you should know beforehand, and the likes.
If going out isn’t your thing, though, but you still want to have a fun picnic experience with your family, your house can be the perfect picnic location! I’m sure you could make use of your yard or garden to set up. Besides, you won’t have to spend anything.
Prepare a Delicious Main Dish for Everyone
Picnics aren’t complete without the star dish of the day! Prepare a delicious main dish for everyone, may it be an all-time family favorite or something new for you guys to try. This will be discussed in detail in the next section.
Stay Hydrated!
Aside from food, don’t forget to grab enough water and refreshing drinks for everyone. We don’t want to be dehydrated while having fun under the sun, do we? You can prepare fresh fruit smoothies or shakes perfect for the summer weather.
Grab Your Favorite Family Games
Make your family picnic even more interesting by bringing some games with you, depending on where you’ll have your picnic. This may include board games—perfect for indoor picnics—sport games, and other outdoor games your kids would surely enjoy.
Unplug from Electronic Devices
Since this is a family bonding time, try your best to leave your phones and other electronic devices at home. This is the time for the family to catch up and have some fun. Your electronic devices would be a bother and a boulder from being present at the moment and achieving that unforgettable family picnic.
Prepare a Comfortable Setup
This tip is perfect for those who wanted their picnics to be extra: transform the place into a Pinterest-perfect picnic spot. Make it clean and comfy for everyone, as a clean environment attracts positive energy. Also, look out for hazardous items, such as knives, branches of trees, sofas, and the likes so that if the kids wander around the picnic area, it’ll be safe.
Food Themes and Ideas for Your Family Picnic
One of the stars of your family picnic is definitely the food you bring or prepare. There are lots of food themes and ideas out there, but here are some of the best ideas perfect for a family picnic.
All Around the World Fiesta
Experience different cuisines as if you’re traveling from one country to another during your family picnic! You may list some of your must-try cuisines and try to re-create or do-it-your own. Here are some examples of the meals you can prepare aligned with this theme:
- Taco Salad
- Italian Spaghetti with Meatballs
- Pork Pies
- Shaved Ice Cream
Sandwich Overload
Classic will never be out of style! Sandwiches are one of the staple pieces in every family picnic. Plus, they are a kid-favorite, too! Here are creative sandwich meals you can make for your own family picnic this summer:
- Stuffed Rainbow Baguette
- Cheesy Garlic Tear-and-Share Bread
- Leak, Cheddar and Bacon Sandwich
- Pressed Picnic Sandwich
Finger Food Picnic Galore
Have fun during your family picnic by munching over these finger foods! These are easy to prep, the kids can even help you with it. Give these snacks a try on your upcoming picnic date with the fambam:
Family Picnic Activities
Make the most out of your quality bonding! These activities can be done outdoors, may it be in your front or backyard or at your go-to parks. For sure these activities will add sparkle to your memorable family picnic.
Kite Flying
This activity will surely hype your kids on your family picnic. It’s one of the iconic outdoor activities kids should not miss in their childhood. You may prepare your own kite or purchase one. It’s also perfect for the summer weather, while enjoying the serene view of the park.
Bird Watching
Enjoy the calm weather by simply relaxing from your picnic blanket, and watching the birds fly around. You can even offer them snacks, too!
Cloud Gazing
Aside from bird watching, cloud gazing is a relaxing family picnic activity as well. This activity also engages your kids’ imagination by picturing objects, shapes, and animals out of the clouds.
Play Frisbee
If the area you’re in is open and spacious, your family can have a game of frisbee. Just make sure to not toss the frisbee too far!
Play Hide and Seek
This family picnic activity would be so much fun, especially for the kids. But, before you proceed to the game proper, make sure to set boundaries on where the kids can hide, and make sure that the area is safe for running and hiding.
Go Biking
One of the great things about having a family picnic by the park is that you get to ride bikes afterward. Not only is it a good physical activity, but it’s also quite special. Riding with them or teaching them how to do it can be a memorable activity for your kids, especially if they’re just learning how to ride.
Play Board Games
Have some quality bonding with the whole family by bringing the family’s favorite board games on the picnic blanket. It may be a game of Scrabble, chess, Monopoly, or card game like UNO. You may also add some rules to make it more fun and exciting. This would surely hype everyone during the family picnic.
Have a Sing-Along
If your family is musically inclined, grab a guitar or a portable musical instrument, and have a mini jamming session with the family’s favorite songs. If not, you can still improvise! Search for some karaoke songs on YouTube or sing along thru Spotify.
Can You Guess Me? I’m Charades!
Let the time pass by playing charades with the whole family. For sure, it’s a game everyone would want to play no matter how old they are. You guys can even set family picnic as the theme. It can be things you can see during your picnic outing, food, series or movies, and many more.
Human Burrito
If you just had burrito as part of your picnic meal, let the kids experience how to become a burrito for a moment. Have the kids lie on the edges of your picnic blanket, and roll them up like a burrito! Will they feel the dampness of the morning dew’s grass or the coldness of the pavement or floor? This can be exhausting for the parents, but very fun for the kids.
Scavenger Hunt
Make the family picnic more memorable by playing scavenger hunt around your picnic area. You can have the items wrapped in bold colored packaging to make it stand out and easier to find, or you can give your kids a checklist. However you want to do this, it’s surely going to be a fun experience for everyone.
Afternoon Tea Party
After having a sumptuous meal, act like royalty by having an afternoon tea party. Prepare some refreshing tea coupled with freshly baked goods to complete your menu.
Have a Family Mad Libs
Mad Libs is a game in which you have to complete the story by filling in the blanks. You can look for some templates online or, better yet, create your own story together with the whole family, and see how it will turn out!
A Memorable Family Picnic
Don’t let the summer season pass by without having some fun, whether you’re celebrating it indoors or outdoors. One of the essence of the summer season is for the family to spend more time, especially with the kids on summer break. And, one family activity you can do this season is to have a family picnic. There are a lot more activities you can do while having a picnic, and we’re sure you and your kids are bound to enjoy at least one of them.
It doesn’t require you to spend much or to have a lavish meal. So long as you guys are all together, happy and complete, that’s all that matters. Just also make sure to keep yourselves sanitized and hydrated all throughout.
